Slip and Fall Lawyers in Lakewood and Denver, CO

Slip and Fall Lawyers

When spending time at the home of a friend or relative or visiting a commercial property, you expect that the property has been adequately maintained and is safe for you and your family. Unfortunately, not all property owners and managers fulfill this obligation to safety. A lack of maintenance can cause private and commercial properties to fall into disrepair and lead to devastating accidents and catastrophic injuries.

If you or someone you love has been hurt in a slip and fall accident because of the negligence of a property owner, you may have grounds to file a premises liability claim. Please contact the experienced slip and fall attorneys at the Frickey Law Firm today at 303-237-7373 for a complimentary initial consultation.

We will evaluate the merits of your case at no cost and advise you on your best course of action. Our firm happily welcomes clients from across Colorado, including Denver, Boulder and Lakewood.

Common Causes of Slip, Trip and Fall Accidents

caution: wet floor sign at the entrance to a food courtHome owners and store owners have a duty to ensure their premises are safe for everyone who visits. When they fail to uphold this obligation and it leads to the injury of another person, they can be held accountable for the damages and medical care that result from their negligence. Common causes of slip and fall accidents include:

  • Uneven sidewalks or walkways
  • Dangerous or hazardous common areas
  • Wet or slippery surfaces
  • Snowy/icy surfaces
  • Damaged carpets
  • Food or beverage spills
  • Poor lighting
  • Dangerous or defective displays of merchandise
  • Falling objects or merchandise

Our slip and fall lawyers will investigate the details of your slip and fall accident, determine who is liable for your injuries. We will work with the insurance companies and fight tirelessly for the full and fair compensation to which you are entitled.

What Should I Do After a Slip and Fall Accident?

If you have been injured in a slip and fall accident, the steps that you take next will impact your ability to obtain justice and compensation in the future. You have the power to protect your rights and lay the groundwork for a strong legal claim. In general, you should try to do the following:

  • Report the accident to the property owner or store manager
  • Request a copy of the incident report 
  • Ask witnesses for their contact information
  • Take photographs of the accident scene
  • Seek medical treatment even if you think your injuries are minor
  • Stick with your doctor’s appointments or physical therapy sessions
  • Speak to a lawyer before accepting a settlement or giving an insurance statement 

Damages in a Slip and Fall Claim

If someone’s negligence had led to your serious injury, you may be entitled to compensation. The knowledgeable slip and fall lawyers at the Frickey Law Firm have the skill, experience and resources to effectively fight on your behalf in negotiations or in court.

Infographic showing slip and fall statistics

We will handle every aspect of your case and deal directly with the insurance companies to protect your best interests. When seeking compensation, we will carefully evaluate both your immediate and future needs, including:

  • Medical costs
  • Lost wages
  • Future loss of earnings
  • Pain and suffering
  • Disability
  • Funeral and burial expenses in a wrongful death claim

Our attorneys are passionate about helping you get back on track. We will fight aggressively for the maximum compensation for your losses.

Learn more about slip and fall injury claims in our blog

Client Testimonial

"What can I say but “WOW!” Wow that when I was at the point of giving up because of how frustrating this whole situation was,The Frickey Law Firm was there to remind me they were on my side! I will and would highly recommend this professional team to anyone needing the assistance of a law firm."

What Is a Slip-and-Fall Accident?

To accurately define what a slip-and-fall accident is, location, circumstance, surrounding objects, and injury should be considered. A slip-and-fall accident happens when an individual falls to the ground, oftentimes causing an injury. Most falls tend to involve an object, such as a slippery floor, a dark staircase, or uneven pavement in a parking lot.

Where Are the Most Common Places that Slip-and-Fall Accidents Occur?

As a common source of injury in the US, slip-and-fall accidents sadly occur in more places than most people think. Often in places where there are crowds of people present or in a highly walkable, busy location, the most common places where slip-and-fall accidents take place are:

  • Restaurants
  • Parking lot
  • Stairs
  • Stores
  • Cluttered floors
  • Defective sidewalks
  • Hotels and resorts
  • Parks
  • Grocery stores

Which Parties Are Liable for Slip-and-Fall Accidents?

The parties liable for slip-and-fall accidents will depend on where and how the accident happened. More specifically, it will be important to determine whether the owner of a property is responsible for the victim’s slip-and-fall injury. In areas such as parks and schools, maintenance is often required to prevent slip-and-fall accidents from happening.

Places like restaurants where wet floors and spills may occur typically require signs or non-slip mats to prevent slip-and-fall injuries. If the property owner or operator has failed to take these precautions, they can be held liable for injuries and losses a victim suffers after their slip-and-fall accident. Restaurant owners, business owners, and land owners are the most common parties responsible for these accidents.

What Are the Most Common Slip-And-Fall Injuries?

Slip-and-fall accidents unfortunately result in sustained injuries to the victim most of the time. The most common injuries that occur due to slip-and-fall accidents are:

  • Sprains
  • Broken bones
  • Puncture wounds
  • Cuts or lacerations

More severe injuries from slip-and-fall accidents can include internal bleeding, head or brain injury, spinal cord or nerve damage, paralysis, and death.

What Happens if I Slip and Fall While I Am at Work?

Slip and fall accidents that happen at work are different from those that happen elsewhere. If you slip and fall while you are on the job, you will likely be barred from suing your employer. Instead, you will need to rely on workers’ compensation to collect the benefits that you deserve.

Sometimes, it is difficult to protect your rights as an injured worker. Our lawyers can help make sure that you are getting the medical care, lost wages, and other benefits that you are entitled to receive under the law. You do not have to bear the burden of a workplace injury on your own.

Does a Wet Floor Sign Remove Liability from a Business If Someone Slips and Falls?

No, a wet floor sign will not automatically remove responsibility or liability from a business or commercial establishment. Even if there was a wet floor sign present at the location where your slip-and-fall injury occurred, you may still be able to recover damages if you can prove the following:

  • The sign was hidden or difficult to see. Situations such as inadequate lighting may lead to this.
  • Poor positioning of the sign. For example, if the sign was only placed on one side of an aisle, but the spill or cause of your slip-and-fall extended to the rest of the aisle, they may still be responsible for your injury.
  • There was another cause of your slip-and-fall injury, such as slipping on broken glass, rather than a slippery, wet floor.
  • There was no alternative walking route for you to go by. It is possible negligence could have occurred if the only way to pass through the establishment was to proceed over the wet or slippery floor.

When Is a Business Liable for a Customer’s Slip-and-Fall? 

Businesses and commercial establishments have a duty to notify visitors of any potential conditions that can lead to a slip-and-fall injury. If these precautions of notification are not taken, they can be liable for any slip-and-fall injuries that occur on their property.

Slip-and-fall lawsuits are considered personal injury claims, as they often involve the victim receiving some form of injury due to the fall on the commercial establishment. However, in order to hold a business liable for the injury, you must prove negligence. Types of negligence can include:

Negligence per se: States and counties may require businesses to take some sort of action to prevent injury on their property. These actions can include installing handrails on stairways and providing adequate lighting. If these actions are not taken, and injury occurs, this can be considered negligence per se.

Res ipsa loquitur: This doctrine assumes that negligence has occurred as a cause of the slip-and-fall injury. This type of negligence can often be characterized as carelessness, such as forgetting to put the wet floor sign out while the floor remains slippery.

Dangerous conditions: Dangerous conditions will be considered negligence. Conditions in the place of business that make the environment dangerous, such as inadequate lighting, uneven flooring, or lifted carpets, can lead to slip-and-fall injuries. Business owners must be aware of these conditions and it must be proven that they have not taken any action to fix it for it to be considered negligence.

To properly show that a business was negligent and is now liable for any injuries, the following four elements will have to be proven:

  • The business owner had a duty toward the person injured, such as offering or advertising a promised service.
  • The business owner breached that duty.
  • The breach, or failure to notify the customer, is what led to the slip-and-fall injury.
  • The customer suffered an actual injury.

When Is a Private Property Owner Liable for a Slip-and-Fall?

In the state of Colorado, the premises liability law ensures that if a landowner has a dangerous condition on their establishment and fails to notify visitors of the condition in the necessary ways, anyone injured due to this condition can be entitled to compensation by filing a premises liability lawsuit.

Can Slip-and-Fall Injuries Be Prevented?

While it is often not the responsibility of the pedestrian or customer to prevent the potential of their own injuries in a commercial establishment, there are several measures that can be taken to prevent the potential for slip-and-fall injuries. These measures include:

  • Practice safe walking skills by avoiding texting while walking or being distracted.
  • Take short, cautious steps on slippery surfaces.
  • Avoid the kitchen area of an establishment.
  • Maintain your balance.
  • Pay attention to where you walk.
  • Try to find an alternative route to your destination, if available.
  • Report any spills in any dining areas, bathrooms, or other locations to staff immediately.

What Kind of Evidence Is Used To Prove a Case?

The right evidence can mean the difference between a strong personal injury case and a weak one. Slip and fall accident cases are no exception. To build a successful claim, you may need:

  • Accident reports
  • Witness statements 
  • Security camera footage
  • Photographs of the hazardous property condition
  • Medical records and bills
  • Receipts for out-of-pocket expenses
  • Our attorneys will conduct an investigation and help you obtain the necessary evidence whenever possible. We can also use invaluable resources such as expert medical witnesses.

How Can I Prepare for My Case in Court?

A slip and fall lawsuit moves through a number of distinct stages before it goes to trial. In fact, the vast majority of personal injury lawsuits, slip and falls included, never make it to court. Instead, they are typically resolved through various alternative methods, such as mediation.

If your case does go to court, the work that you have been doing with our lawyers up until that point will go a long way to ready you for the date of your trial. Of course, any additional preparation that may be necessary will be covered by our legal team when the time comes.

How Long Do Slip and Fall Settlements Take?

It can take several months or several years to resolve a slip and fall claim depending on the circumstances of the accident. The time to receive a settlement is influenced by things such as negotiations with the insurance company and the complexity of the case.

Our attorneys work to resolve each case as efficiently as possible. However, we are not afraid to take your slip and fall lawsuit all the way to trial if that is what will give you the best outcome.

Schedule Your Complimentary Slip and Fall Consultation Today

You have nothing to lose by calling us right now. Our initial consultations are completely free, and we don’t get paid unless we achieve a victory in your case.

Contact the Frickey Law Firm today by completing the form on this page, calling 303-237-7373 or using our convenient chat function. We help slip and fall accidents victims from Denver, Boulder, Lakewood and nearby areas throughout Colorado.